Chesterfield lacked leaders and desire in Tranmere Rovers draw - analysis
Chesterfield’s three-match winning run came to a halt as they were held to a 1-1 draw against Tranmere Rovers.
Here are some of the talking points from the game on Saturday...
LEADERS
Chesterfield have got some really talented individual players but sometimes when you look out across the pitch you wonder if they have enough leaders, enough captains. Is there enough steel and grittiness in this team? Are they nasty enough? Are they capable of finding solutions on the pitch and working things out for themselves? Those are some questions to ponder when it comes to summer recruitment, whatever division they are playing in.
DESIRE
Paul Cook’s comments after the game about the body language of some of his players is concerning. They came into this one on the back of three wins and three clean sheets but you would not have known that apart from quite a bright first 10 minutes. This goes back to the above point. Who was going to take the game by the scruff of the neck? Who was going to take charge and wrestle back control? Where was the desire? Janoi Donacien gave Dilan Markanday a verbal volley in the second-half and you couldn’t help but think they needed more of that. Too many played with their heads down and had a look of feeling sorry for themselves. You would have thought it was them and not Tranmere who had lost nine out of their last 10, had not scored in their last five and were hurtling towards the relegation zone.
ONE POINT MAX
The Spireites didn’t deserve more than a point and they might even consider themselves a bit fortunate to have got that. The hosts started brightly for 10 minutes but they lost their way after that. Tranmere started nervously but grew in confidence and you sensed they could smell there was something in it for them as they started to create opportunities. The fear they may have started the game with soon disappeared. They should have gone ahead through Kaiyne Woolery but he missed a gilt-edged chance before Omari Patrick’s penalty was saved by Ryan Boot. The visitors did not fashion much after equalising but neither did Chesterfield apart from two late headers from Tom Naylor.
ANY PLUSES?
The return of Lewis Gordon after three-and-a-half months out with a quad injury. The left-back was introduced at half-time and his comeback could be timely if Town do get into the play-offs. He is more of a natural full-back than Owolabi-Belewu. And if Ryan Stirk has to have to continue to manage his groin injury then John Fleck’s return to fitness could also be important, with the midfielder getting his first minutes since January under his belt.
Chesterfield: Boot; Curtis, McFadzean (Donacien, 46), Swinkels, Owolabi-Belewu (Gordon, 46); Naylor, Braybrooke; Markanday (Mandeville, 75), Dobra, Berry (Fleck, 75); Bonis (Duffy, 85).
Unused subs: Hemming, Elliott.